Residents of Block 1 in Finetown received much-needed water on Tuesday, 4 August, after the Democratic Alliance (DA) delivered water to JoJo tanks it says were left empty despite repeated appeals for assistance.
According to the DA, the water delivery followed complaints from residents who had been struggling without a reliable water supply. The party alleged that the ANC-led coalition had failed to refill the DA-installed JoJo tanks, leaving the community without access to one of life’s most basic necessities.
DA Johannesburg Deputy Regional Chairperson, Cllr Nonhlanhla Sifumba, said the visit marked the party’s third intervention in the area.
“The first time we came to Block 1 was to clean an unsafe public space. We later returned with water tankers after residents raised concerns about the lack of water. Today, it gives us great pleasure to come back and provide one of the most basic and essential human rights – water,” she said.
Sifumba said the DA had responded directly to residents’ concerns by ensuring that water was delivered to the community.
“As the DA, we listened to the residents’ call and responded. That is why we are here today delivering water to the community. It is disheartening that Johannesburg Water allegedly refused to refill the JoJo tanks simply because they were donated by the DA,” she said.
She added that DA ward councillor candidate William Mphahlele had repeatedly approached Johannesburg Water on behalf of residents to request that the tanks be refilled, but his appeals were allegedly ignored.
“We will continue to fight relentlessly to ensure residents receive a regular water supply from Johannesburg Water. We also appeal to the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Jack Sekwaila, to intervene and ensure that water is supplied fairly to all residents of Block 1 and Mountain View Ext,” Sifumba said.
The DA said residents should never be left without access to water and called for the tanks to be refilled consistently, regardless of political differences.
Source: DA
